McPHERSON, Kan. — Big innings by McPherson proved to be the difference throughout the weekend as Southwestern College dropped all three games of the KCAC series Saturday and Sunday.
In Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, the McPherson struck first in the opening frame before the Moundbuilders answered with a run of their own in the top of the second inning.
McPherson responded with a massive six-run surge in the second inning, plating runs in bunches and capitalizing on miscues. A two-run third inning from Southwestern cut the Bulldog lead to 7-3 before McPherson exploded for an eight-run fifth inning.
The Bulldogs steadily built momentum, finishing with 20 runs on 23 hits to pull away for a 20-3 win.
Brice Nittler led the Moundbuilders with 2 hits, while Raisean Dorsey drove in two runs and added a hit in game one. Southwestern was held to just 8 hits and 3 RBI's.
In Game 2, Southwestern again found itself in a competitive game early, down 2-0 after two innings before the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 4 in the third inning.
In the fourth inning, the Bulldogs walked in a run before Nathan Perez hit a 2 RBI single to right-center field as the Moundbuilders cut the lead to 4-3.
McPherson responded immediately and decisively in the bottom of the fourth, scoring thirteen runs as the Moundbuilders saw the deficit swell to 14. A five-run fifth inning from McPherson brought the lead to 22-3 behind 5 Bulldog RBI's.
Southwestern drew seven walks and got a two-RBI effort from Nathan Perez, but McPherson's offense overwhelmed the Moundbuilders in a 23-4 victory.
Sunday's finale followed a similar pattern, though Southwestern delivered its most productive offensive performance of the series. The Moundbuilders scored in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings before erupting for six runs in the sixth.
The opening frame saw the Bulldogs take a 3-1 lead—a lead that was brought to 7-1 after the second inning.
After a one-run third inning, the Moundbuilders scored three runs in the fourth inning behind a triple from Braden Roberts and RBI doubles from Sam Benz and Raisean Dorsey, cutting the lead to 9-5.
Southwestern continued to chip away, scoring another run in the fifth inning to cut the lead to three before the Bulldogs put four runs on the board in the bottom of the fifth.
The resilient Moundbuilders answered with six runs in the following frame behind RBI singles from Ayden Markovich and Preston Carrillo. Nathan Perez and Brice Nittler were each able to draw RBI walks as the Moundbuilders came within one run at 13-12.
McPherson (16-17, 13-9 KCAC) rebutted with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and three runs in the seventh, eventually pulling away for a 21-13 win.
Sam Benz drove in three runs in the finale, while Raisean Dorsey collected three hits and two RBIs to lead the Moundbuilders offensively.
Southwestern (11-23, 8-17 KCAC) returns home Tuesday, March 31, to host Southwestern Christian University at Broadway Sports Complex. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
